Cleveland Browns Radio Network

With change in the flagship station in the Cleveland Browns Radio Network and their games no longer being aired by WTAM, there also appear to be a change in stations in other parts of Ohio as well. There is a diffrent outlet in the Columbus area for 2013. It was also learned that WONE, the Dayton station at 980-AM will not be on the Browns Network for the coming season after carrying the games since 1980. At this point, that leaves southwestern Ohio without a station to tune to for the Browns and there remain many fans in this part of the state.

Dayton viewers more often than not receive the Browns' game on TV if the Bengals aren't playing or are blacked out, while the Cincinnati affiliates get another game (or infomercials). I can't see another Dayton radio station picking up the Browns, unless 1410 is willing to air the Browns instead of the Reds on Sundays (they really don't need to air the Reds anyway since WLW's signal is so strong).

There are many times when radio coverage is needed (driving in the car, working in the yard, doing various things in the house, etc.) even if a game is being televised. At the same time, Cleveland games are not shown on Dayton and Cincinnati TV stations as often as you might think - particularly if the Browns are not doing well. With the exception of a few seasons in the mid-1970's, the Browns have had at least one radio station in southwestern Ohio since the 1950's. If the team's new ownership is seeking to up-grade its following, they really need to have their games on a station in this part of Ohio.

Hopefully, someone in Dayton will pick up the Browns.

And speaking of the Browns, did anyone notice there's a lot of new affiliates this year for the team as well...and not one owned by Clear Channel?

This is similar to when the Indians left WTAM. More affiliates popped up on the network. I think this is a good thing for the Browns. The Browns are on 3 stations in the area and if you can't pick up one station turn on another. WNCX for sure will come in clear in and around the area so it should not be a problem.

I live in Dayton and listen to the games on 980 WONE, sometimes they are the only way I can get Browns games in Dayton is on the radio. Really hope a station here picks up the team. I enjoy the Browns Radio Network

You do hope it results in more stations on the network - including, I hope, one in southwestern Ohio. However, in losing WTAM, you lose having a 50,000-watt outlet for the games which enabled them to be heard over a wide area both at night and in the late afternoon in the late fall.

I'm sure others will sign up, but right now the network is pretty skinny. No affiliates in Astabula, Ashland-Mansfield, Steubenville, or Sandusky. Their Toledo affiliate is a class A rimshot. Their Columbus affiliate is a bit of a rimshot as well. Before you had WTAM to fill in the coverage holes in NE Ohio. Currently there are some serious coverage issues.

While the Columbus affiliate technically is a rimshot, with its tower located 30 miles ESE of downtown and just southwest of Lancaster, it has a great signal. I've personally heard it as far west as Springfield before Xenia's 95.3 and Piqua's 95.7 clobber it from both sides. Certainly it has a better signal than the previous affiliate.
Any chance 95.7 (WHIO-FM) would pick up the Browns for Dayton? Any conflicts with UD basketball would be minimal. I've listened to 95.7 from just southwest of Findlay all the way to the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, and east-to-west the signal goes from the west fringes of Columbus all the way to past Richmond.

schmave said:

While the Columbus affiliate technically is a rimshot, with its tower located 30 miles ESE of downtown and just southwest of Lancaster, it has a great signal. I've personally heard it as far west as Springfield before Xenia's 95.3 and Piqua's 95.7 clobber it from both sides. Certainly it has a better signal than the previous affiliate.
Any chance 95.7 (WHIO-FM) would pick up the Browns for Dayton? Any conflicts with UD basketball would be minimal. I've listened to 95.7 from just southwest of Findlay all the way to the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, and east-to-west the signal goes from the west fringes of Columbus all the way to past Richmond.

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I thought maybe that Cox would try and put the Browns on 95.7 if necessary and even if there were conflicts with UD Basketball they could always just air them on 1290 and make 95.7 the UD station. Really the only choices the Browns have in Dayton would probably be Cox and Mainline stations with 1410 but I don't know how much 1410 is committed to the Reds. It's been my impression that they are happy with the Reds and try and promote it a lot.

When WONE in Dayton aired Reds' games, they still carried Browns' games when those teams played at or near the same times.

Just wondering who might be contacted at the PNC Cleveland Browns Radio Network to try and push for a southwestern Ohio affiliate?

Also, I don't think there are too many instances where U.D. basketball games would take place close to a Browns' game.

Even as a Bengals fan, I hope the Browns see the need/importance of a southwest Ohio affiliate. That said, the radio situation in Toledo has been pathetic for many years with Clear Channel in charge and that's arguably a bigger Browns market than Dayton (not in terms of size, but of the number of fans). It wouldn't surprise me if this isn't resolved any time soon.

It doesn't look like they've added any additional affiliates. First preseason game for most teams is three weeks away. The team's website is still just showing the three flagship stations, two Akron stations, two Youngstown stations, and a Toledo, Canton, and Columbus affiliate. Just ten stations.

billf82 said:

It doesn't look like they've added any additional affiliates. First preseason game for most teams is three weeks away. The team's website is still just showing the three flagship stations, two Akron stations, two Youngstown stations, and a Toledo, Canton, and Columbus affiliate. Just ten stations.

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I check everyday now to see if they have added new stations, of course I keep hoping they will announce something about an affiliate in Dayton soon. Starting to get worried.

Effective Monday -

"Browns Daily" airs M-F from 1-3 p.m. on WKNR, with Jim Rome moving full time to 1540 KNR2.

That's going to be a bad idea. A lot of Rome are going to be ticked. That has to push The Fan into picking up the show. 1540's Cleveland coverage signal won't cut it.

The complete list of affiliates is out for the Browns, which I'll post here:

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/media-center/on-the-air.html

And the pregame and postgame shows are now set.

This is kind of a mish-mash so try to follow:
(based on a 1 p.m. kickoff - obviously adjust accordingly for games at different times)

9 - 11 a.m: 92.3's Ken Carmen and WKNR's Je'Rod Cherry start things off for the pregame show

11 a.m. - 1 p.m: Carmen tags out, and then Jeff Phelps (92.3) and Tony Rizzo (WKNR) join Cherry until just before kickoff

1 - 4 p.m. (approx): the game itself

4 - 6 p.m: Phelps and Dustin Fox (92.3) with the postgame show.

Now remember, in Cleveland the pregame show will only be on WKNR, and the postgame only on 92.3 The Fan (the rest of the network affiliates will get the whole kitten-kaboodle)

And WNCX 98.5 (the 3rd wheel in the flagship menage-a-trois) will only air the game itself.

Gonna be interesting on the pregame show to hear how The Fan's Carmen and Phelps interact with KNR's Rizzo and Cherry.

So much for Dayton being "Browns' territory" as someone wrote on Facebook yesterday. The Browns lose WONE-980 as an affiliate (had been a Browns' affiliate since around 1980) and don't get a replacement.

billf82 said:

So much for Dayton being "Browns' territory" as someone wrote on Facebook yesterday. The Browns lose WONE-980 as an affiliate (had been a Browns' affiliate since around 1980) and don't get a replacement.

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There are a lot of Browns fans in Dayton. I have no idea why another station did not decide to pick up Browns games for this season. I have been so sad and pissed off since the rest of the affiliates were announced yesterday. Can't believe games won't be on here in Dayton.

Isn't 98.5 required to carry the network's pregame and postgame show? I've never heard of a station carrying JUST the game.

Was an AM flagship station required as part of this new radio deal? I would've just let the two CBS Radio-owned stations have the rights to the Browns. Other teams have had two FM's as flagships, but no AM, especially an AM from a competing company (The Bills used to have two Citadel FM's as their flagships, before WGR-AM took over, with no FM partner, in 2012).